Rona Ambrose

[The Environment, November 9th, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, once again, our government is the first government to be honest with Canadians about where we are at with our Kyoto objectives. Yesterday in committee someone said that the bill put forward by the hon. member would have been good back in 1998. It is 2006 and we are 35% above our target.

We need to put bold regulations forward for industry. We need be honest with the international community and with Canadians and say that we will not achieve our target but that we will make progress toward it.

[The Environment, November 9th, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, during the 13 years the Liberals were in power, they put forward four plans and they completely ruined Canada's international reputation.

We finally can go to the international community and get support for our new plan because this government had the guts to actually be honest with the international community and with Canadians and put forward a bold piece of legislation to regulate every industry sector across this country.

I wish the Liberals had been as honest with the international community as we have been.

[The Environment, November 9th, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, if that is an offer of support for the clean air act to go to a legislative committee and to work with the government in putting forth a good piece of legislation, we are open to it and we always have been.

I would point out to the hon. member that we have support from the Clean Air Foundation, the Healthy Indoors Partnership, Pollution Probe, the Canadian Renewable Fuels Association, the Canadian Medical Association and the Canadian Lung Association. We are happy to hear that the Liberal Party will also support us.

[The Environment, November 9th, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, I invite the opposition to read clauses 27, 29 and 33 of the clean air act, which allows a North American tradeable units system. As with acid rain, we need a North American solution. This is why we are consulting the parties, namely the Bloc Québécois, the Liberal Party, the NDP, and also the provinces and industries.

[The Environment, November 9th, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, by opposing the clean air act the opposition and the Bloc Québécois are wasting the time of the House and of the Montreal stock exchange.

Why does the Bloc Québécois oppose the clean air act, and perhaps also the creation of the Montreal market?

[The Environment, November 9th, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, we have been honest with Canadians, honest with our international partners and honest with ourselves, compared to the last government. We have said to the international community,we are committed to the Kyoto protocol, committed to working with them, but we cannot meet the unachievable, unreachable targets set by the former government.

I would encourage the hon. member to go to the United Nations website or the Environment Canada website, which has all of our position related to Kyoto posted there for everyone to see, before we leave for Nairobi.

[The Environment, November 9th, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, Canada's clean air act will enable us to meet our Kyoto protocol obligations, except for the unattainable targets set by the Liberals. We will set new targets in order to make real progress, together with our international partners. We hope that the Liberals will support Canada's clean air act.

[The Environment, November 8th, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, it is our role, as the government, to set up the regulations in order to have an opportunity for a carbon exchange. What I am waiting for is a yes from the Bloc. We need the clean air act to pass so we can recognize certain kinds of traceable units so we can have a flexible, efficient, modern market.

I would encourage her to have her environment critic actually read the clean air act, talk to me and then we can work on it together at the legislative committee.

[The Environment, November 8th, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, I have made the point before that the member should look at the clean air act because it sets out, in three different sections, the opportunity for the government to recognize certain kinds of tradable units. That is actually the role that the Government of Canada plays. We recognize tradable units as part of the regulatory framework.

I would encourage the Bloc members, if they would like to see an exchange, to support the clean air act.

[The Environment, November 8th, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, our government has always been clear that no market will use taxpayer money to buy or sell greenhouse gas credits.

Unlike the Liberals, who set up a $1 billion Canada emissions reductions agency to buy and sell domestic and international credits with taxpayer money, our government is not proceeding with this program. We will not subsidize the market and we will not create an artificial market. This market will be driven by industry and by the markets.